Not everyone has welcomed Brooks Koepka back to the PGA Tour. Michael Kim admitted that some are “pissed” about the former LIV Golf pro’s return. However, not everyone shares the same sentiment. For instance, Rickie Fowler seems excited for the return of Koepka to the PGA Tour system.

During the TGL match between New York GC and Jupiter Links, he was asked to share his feelings about the situation. Fowler told the reporters, “I think it’s great. I feel like Brooks has been in a position, he’s wanted to be back playing with us for quite a while, so I’m very happy that we’re back in the position where we’re at now.”

Rumors of the former Smash GC captain wanting to return had been floating around for nearly a year. His appearance in the TGL match in February 2025 really got everyone excited. Then Fred Couples claimed that Koepka was craving a return to the PGA Tour. Now that he has made the switch, it seems that all the speculation turned out to be true. And Fowler is happy about it. Interestingly, Jordan Spieth also holds the same opinion.

Fowler also mentioned, “I think the guys that were involved on the board level and the players that are involved, I think they did a great job of figuring out how do we make this happen and making it feel like — obviously we want him back and it not to feel like it was a closed door. I know he’s excited. I saw him actually, as I was on the PAC call receiving the news that everything was going through and what was going to happen. So yeah, I think there’s a lot of people that are excited about it.”

Soon after Koepka’s reinstatement application came to light, the PGA Tour quickly approved his return. After consulting Tiger Woods, they announced the former LIV Golf pro’s return within days.

Interestingly, Rolapp & Co. didn’t just give Koepka any special treatment to return. They created the perfect gateway that was left open for others as well.

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How does the PGA tour justify the return of Brooks Koepka?

Had Brooks Koepka received a special gateway into the PGA Tour, then Brian Rolapp & Co. would have deserved any criticism coming their way. But Koepka didn’t receive a backdoor entry. Instead, the Tour unveiled a strategic ‘Returning Member Programme’ that justified his path back.

They created the ‘Returning Member Program’ to allow top talent to find a path back. According to the rules, any LIV Golf pro who had won a major since 2022 was permitted to use the program. The likes of Koepka, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith fell into that category.

This gave a fair opportunity to everyone the PGA Tour deemed valuable. They also set a timeline by which the players have to make a firm decision. Interestingly, the deadline is February 2, just a couple of days before the LIV Golf 2026 season begins. So the pros also have enough time to decide their future.